proper order for items on a agenda

[Guest Michael]

When opening a meeting where both a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance is said ...what goes first the prayer or the pledge?

[jstackpo]

I have heard, in the dim, dark past, the phrase "God before Country" as applicable.  That is what RONR says, too, under "Optional Headings, page 360.  But in this increasingly secular (and contentious) age, who knows. It is optional and up to the association, I suppose.

[Guest Zev]

If you were God and a group acknowledged the flag of some country before they acknowledged you, how would feel about it?

[Richard Brown]

53 minutes ago, Guest Michael said:

When opening a meeting where both a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance is said ...what goes first the prayer or the pledge?

You can do it any way you want to, but if you want to follow accepted custom and protocol, it is "God before Country".    Prayer (invocation) first then the Pledge of Allegiance.  It's also the way RONR says it should be done, as Dr. Stackpole stated. Here is the quote from page 360-361: 

Opening Ceremonies or Exercises. Opening ceremonies immediately after the meeting is called to order may include the Invocation (which, if offered, should always be placed first), the singing of the National Anthem, the reciting of the [page 361] Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, a ritual briefly recalling the objects or ideals of the organization, or the like.

[Joshua Katz]

46 minutes ago, Guest Zev said:

If you were God and a group acknowledged the flag of some country before they acknowledged you, how would feel about it?

This is a very challenging question. I guess if I were God I probably wouldn't care - being omnipotent and omniscient would lessen any perceived sting of insult. But then, if I were God and also wrote the Bible, I suppose I'd be a jealous God...hard to say, really. Maybe I'd say "I see they saved the best for last." Or make a joke about "I thought it was age before beauty."

[Weldon Merritt]

2 hours ago, Joshua Katz said:

This is a very challenging question. I guess if I were God I probably wouldn't care - being omnipotent and omniscient would lessen any perceived sting of insult. But then, if I were God and also wrote the Bible, I suppose I'd be a jealous God...hard to say, really. Maybe I'd say "I see they saved the best for last." Or make a joke about "I thought it was age before beauty."

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